The Element of Surprise

Why Surprise Is Your Secret Weapon In Social Media Marketing

In line with our discussions around social media marketing and native advertisements, this article discusses the importance of surprise in social media marketing. Surprise has the ability to significantly increase engagement and brand recognition.

Specifically, the element of surprise acts as an emotional amplifier - it is one of the strongest and most memorable emotions and therefore lends itself to immediate brand recognition. In addition, surprise releases dopamine which is a "feel good" chemical and associated with bond forming, another way to create a strong bond with an audience. Surprising an audience with facts, information, or other types of entertainment that they aren't getting from your competition is a great way to differentiate a brand as well as strengthen the relationship with consumers.

Ultimately though, surprise is not an easy effect to achieve in marketing. Shown by the marketing faux pas shown in class, sometimes a overly creative effort can come across as offensive if not executed well. So this type of digital marketing, while incredibly effective, also creates another level of challenges for marketers.